I
wouldn't be over stating when I say that Americans love brownies. Let's face
it. When you have whole recipe books devoted to the subject, there has to be
a bit of a brownie obsession. Brownies have been popular since the 1920's
and there are many stories about who invented the first brownie recipe. Jean
Anderson, in her book "The American Century Cookbook", gives us a few
theories. One theory is that a woman named Brownie invented them. Another is
that a housewife from Bangor Maine invented them by mistake. The story goes
that one day she made a chocolate cake that collapsed and instead of
throwing the cake away she decided to cut the flat cake into squares, which
only later became known as brownies. Both stories seem plausible and there are
probably many others, so I guess we have to be content just with the fact
that at least someone in America invented them.
When you look at the above picture you can see this is not your
ordinary brownie. This is a dense and fudgy brownie that is topped
with a layer of mint flavored cream and then a thin layer of melted dark
chocolate. I first made these brownies when I wanted something 'green' for St.
Patrick's Day. Now I make them all year
(especially during the Christmas season) as mint and chocolate are always
welcome.
As I said above, this is a dense and fudgy brownie and, in
fact, it is
the same brownie recipe that I used for the Cream Cheese Brownies. I
really like how easy this batter comes together. It is hand mixed and only one
bowl is needed to complete the task. Once the brownies are baked and cooled, they are spread first with a
creamy mint flavored frosting and then a shiny chocolate glaze. The mint
layer is a simple butter frosting and the mint flavor comes by
adding either pure peppermint extract or Cr?e de Menthe. The final layer
of these brownies is a lovely chocolate glaze that is simply melted
semisweet chocolate and butter. I like to cut these brownies into small
squares as they are quite rich and if you have leftovers they can be
frozen.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160
degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have
ready a
9 x 9 inch (23 x
23
cm) square baking pan that has been lined with aluminum foil across the
bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan. Set aside.
Brownies: In a stainless
steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the
butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla
extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after
each addition. Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until
the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about
one minute). Pour the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake in the
preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away
from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to
brown. A toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies will come out almost
clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to completely cool.
Mint Layer: In the
bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat all the ingredients
until smooth. Add a few drops of green food coloring if you want the frosting
green. If the frosting is too thick, add a little extra cream. (The frosting
should be just thin enough to spread.) Spread the frosting evenly over the
cooled brownie layer. Place in the refrigerator for about 5-10 minutes or until
firm.
Chocolate Glaze:
In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and
butter. Spread over the mint filling and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or
until the chocolate glaze starts to dull.
To Serve: Remove
the brownies from the pan by lifting with the ends of the foil and transfer to a
cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into 30 squares. It is a good idea to
wipe your knife between cuts with a damp cloth. These brownies can be stored in
the refrigerator for several days or else frozen.
Makes about 30 1-inch
(2.5 cm) squares.
Sources:
Anderson, Jean. 'The
American Century Cookbook'. Clarkson Potter/Publishers. New York: 1997.
Heatter, Maida. 'Maida
Heatter's Book of Great Cookies'. Alfred A. Knoff, New York: 1977.
Mahnke Peery,
Susan. 'The Wellesley Cookie Exchange Cookbook'. A Fireside Book, New
York: 1986.
Medrich, Alice. 'Cookies
and Brownies'. Warner Books, Inc. New York: 1999.
Brownie Layer:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter,
cut into pieces
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